


Role Exchange

by Brynn_Jones



Category: NCIS
Genre: Friendship, M/M, Pre-Slash, unlikely situation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-14
Packaged: 2018-03-11 13:45:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3328559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brynn_Jones/pseuds/Brynn_Jones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because of a particularly delicate case, Gibbs and Tony find themselves in an unexpected situation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally meant to be a one-piece but thanks to you I reconsidered. Thank you for the comments :)

      The case was a mess. There was no other way to put it. The whole team had been slaving over the case files for two days straight and they still had yet to find any kind of clue as to who could possibly be the murderer.

      "I bet it was the Senator," grumbled Tony after he finished his fifteenth cup of coffee. He gave up on any kind of flavored syrups hours ago and now drank the same disgusting thing Gibbs did. The surprise was, he didn't even mind.

      Ziva looked up. "Aren't you always the one saying it was the wife?"

      Tony got up, picking up his empty cup. "I always say what my instinct tells me." He turned to Gibbs. "You need a refill, boss?"

      The man in question nodded silently and held up his cup for Tony to take. "McGee, check the Senator's transactions again, run the last three years this time. There has to be something we're missing."

      Ziva looked up again. "You think it was the Senator, as well?"

      Gibbs shrugged. "No idea, but if DiNozzo has a hunch."

      Ziva frowned. "Tony doesn't have a hunch, he has a stomach ache from all that coffee he drank. I've been counting, he just went for his sixteenth in forty hours, he's almost as bad as you."

      Gibbs raised a tired eyebrow. "You keep count for me as well?"

      Ziva shrugged and went back to her computer screen. "Nineteen."

      Gibbs sighed, took off his glasses and rubbed his sore eyes. He was grateful Tony had even the slightest bit of feeling about this case, because his own gut was stubbornly silent. There were four possible murderers that had both the motive and the lack of alibi, however there was not a shred of evidence to point at either one of them. The fact that one of the suspects was a Senator was a bugger. The man was arrogant and his answer to anything was: "Ask my lawyer, Agent Gibbons." no matter how many times Gibbs corrected him.

      A cup of steaming hot coffee landed on the desk in front of him and he looked up only to see Tony smiling at him sadly. "Nothing, eh?"

      He merely frowned, taking a sip of the black brew.

      Tony leaned forward, effectively blocking out the rest of the bullpen from his boss' view, and whispered. "We'll figure something out, Jethro, don't worry."

      Gibbs nodded. Tony was right, they always figure something out in the end. He was glad Tony took the time to make him feel better though, he needed a friend right now.

      Tony was halfway back to his own desk, when McGee gasped. "Boss, I found something. The Senator purchased an antique knife from AntiqueArtifacts.com almost three years ago. It looks suspiciously like our murder weapon."

      The whole team crowded around the tech specialist's computer, checking for themselves that they finally found a clue. Tony grinned. "I told you it was him, Zee-vah, did you really doubt me?"

      Ziva wanted to frown at him and drop some scathing remark but she didn't have the energy, so she just shook her head slowly. Gibbs' body finally caught up with his brain and he barked out: "Grab your gear, we have a murderer to pick up."

      At this point, it would be nice to say that the arrest went smoothly and that the Senator confessed but that was not meant to be. The arrest was a power game made more for secretaries than federal agents with all the warrants and important documents flying around, and it went as far as the Senator shoving Gibbs aside while spitting curses at him. What Gibbs did next, however, wasn't what was supposed to happen. Blame the coffee, but instead of arresting the Senator for assaulting a federal agent, Gibbs took matters into his own hands and socked the cocky man in the eye. It's no wonder the Senator decided to press charges.

      It was an understatement to say that Vance wasn't happy. He yelled, cursed, chewed on his toothpick and then yelled some more.

      "Gibbs, I have no choice but to demote you," he said after snapping his fifth toothpick of the day in half.

      Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Demote me? Are you kidding?"

      Vance looked dead serious. "No, I'm not. The Senator threatened to sue us if you're not demoted and I don't want to cause more trouble for our agency than you've already caused."

      Gibbs took a step forward. "He is a killer, we don't need to bow before him."

      "We do, Gibbs! He's still a Senator, dammit!" yelled Vance.

      "Oh fine, and who'll lead the MCRT then?"

      "DiNozzo. Effective immediately, you said yourself that he was ready years ago, you'll just have to exchange roles for now."

      Gibbs snorted at the absurdity of it all. "Exchange roles? You mean I'll be DiNozzo's 2IC?"

      "Yes. And I don't want to hear any complaints. You better respect him or the rest of your team will give him hell. Despite the facade he puts on, he's a capable agent."

      Gibbs nodded. "Of course, you know I do respect him."

      Vance shook his head. "Maybe, but you don't show it much."

      Gibbs left Vance's office in a conflicting mood. He was pissed off that a murderer could dictate what they did or didn't do at the NCIS, but on the other hand he was glad for Tony. This was a chance to prove himself. Gibbs might know how good his second in command was but the rest of the team probably had no idea.

      "DiNozzo!"

      "Yes boss? What's the problem?"

      Gibbs shook his head. He's going to miss this. "That's the problem. I'm not your boss anymore."

      Ziva and McGee looked up from their reports. Tony frowned. "He didn't sack you, did he?"

      Gibbs shook his head. "Nah, boss, he didn't."

      Unsurprisingly, Tony caught up way before McGee and Ziva. "You're not serious, he demoted you?"

      "Yeah, I'm your second in command now."

      Tony grinned. "Neat." Then he frowned. "Wait, that will be absolutely weird. You calling me boss? Don't do that, please."

      Gibbs sat down behind his desk. "If I can keep my desk."

      Tony brightened up. "Sure, I don't want your desk, just don't call me boss and I'll call you whatever you want."

      Gibbs shrugged. "You know what to call me."

      Tony sat down behind his desk and looked at the paperwork in front of him evilly. "Is the demotion effective immediately? Because I think I have some paperwork for you."

      Gibbs groaned. "No. I'm not doing all that crap you've been doing till now. Most of it is the team leader's job anyway."

      Tony nodded. "Yeah, but I've been doing it for you all these years, don't you think you should do it for me now?"

      "No, I don't. And watch that tone, I can still headslap you."

      Tony shrugged. "Sure, but I can slap you right back now."

      Ziva gasped. "Tony!"

      "We should probably call him boss right now, Ziva," whispered McGee uncertainly.

      Tony shrugged smugly. "I guess you should, McProbie."

      Gibbs looked up. "Well, boss. What do I do?"

      Tony shot him a glare. "If you don't know what to do by now, Jethro, you probably shouldn't be on the team."

      Gibbs snickered and went to write his report. He might make fun of Tony but he's not going to disobey him. He needs to show both McGee and Ziva that he respects Tony as his leader and they should therefore do the same. On top of that, he suspected that were he to taunt him anymore, Tony would make good on his promise and actually headslap him.

      All the reports were finished in two hours and except for the time when Tony rose from his seat ready to submit his report to Gibbs before sitting back down remembering he was the boss now only to stand up again realizing that he still needed Gibbs to check it over as his second in command, everything went without a hitch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was surprised to receive any feedback at all for my story but I was so pleased that instead of learning for my paleobiology exam tomorrow, I wrote another chapter. Shame on me, I know :)

      Tony didn't even have time to settle into his new position as the MCRT leader when another case came up. The Italian listened to the details their liaison gave him before hanging up and looking over at his team. Ziva was on her phone, following a lead on a cold case she was working, McGee was typing something furiously into a chat window on his screen, most likely gossiping with Abby, and Gibbs was scowling at his computer screen as if it had personally offended him. Gibbs was a surprise to Tony. He took the new situation in stride and didn't seem to have the slightest problem working under Tony's leadership. No matter what the younger man said, Gibbs never questioned him and once he even brought him coffee without having to be asked. The only thing that irked Tony was that his new second-in-command insisted on calling him boss, completely disregarding the deal they had made directly after his demotion. Tony suspected it helped Gibbs get used to the new power balance, so he didn't really say anything but that didn't mean he liked it.  McGee and Ziva, on the other hand, had serious trouble adjusting. The tech specialist tried very hard not to show how the new team hierarchy confused him but he couldn't help sending Tony weird glances every now and then, while Ziva outright doubted everything Tony said. Every time Tony told her to do anything, no matter how trivial a thing, Ziva asked him whether he was sure. As if he would ask her to do anything if he was doubting his order.

      Tony took a deep breath and stood up. "We have a new case people, Emily Zeleny, the daughter of the local police chief, has been kidnapped last night. A note demanding the chief's resignation and a marine jacket has been left on the victim's bed, so the cops called us. Grab your gear," he finished with a cheeky grin.

      His teammates did as he said, though Ziva couldn't help herself and threw him a dirty look as they all filed into the elevator.

      They arrived at the scene a few minutes later and Tony took charge. "McGee, Gibbs, witnesses. Ziva, talk to Mr Zeleny. I'll take photos and we'll meet right here when we're done, capisce?"

      McGee and Gibbs headed straight to the group of nosy neighbours standing nearby while Ziva shrugged her shoulders. "If you're sure, Tony."

      "Yes I am, Zeevah," said Tony trying to hide his irritation behind a grin.

      The former assassin nodded her head and went in search of the victim's father. Tony released a breath and went to grab his camera.

      It took them about an hour and a half to finish with the regular rounds and meet back at the SUV. By then Tony had taken pictures of everything in the girl's room, the window through which had the kidnapper apparently got in and the hallway leading to the backdoor through which he had left with the victim. He had also instructed the forensic team to bag and tag anything that resembled even slightly some sort of a lead, as he himself took the girl's notebook and address book. He hoped his teammates were at least half as productive.

      Tony looked at the rest of his team questioningly and Gibbs started talking without further prompting: "The witnesses were completely useless. Half of them was asleep when it happened and the other half thought they had seen something or someone suspicious. I have collected at least four different versions of the kidnapper's identikit."

      Tony had expected that. He looked towards McGee to see if he says anything different. The computer genius shook his head. "I have six different versions, Tony. Sorry."

      "Not your fault. Ziva?" he turned to the woman.

      The brunette looked grim. "Mr Zeleny doesn't know many marines and cannot imagine anyone wanting to hurt his daughter."

      "Any enemies?"

      "He said he couldn't think of anyone. He just kept repeating that once we find the marine he was going to kill him. I told him that wasn't a good idea."

      Tony let out a breathless laugh at that. "Alright, so we have nothing then. Let's go back to the bullpen, McSnoop can start with going through the girl's notebook, Ziva will go through her facebook, myspace or whatever they're using now," Tony ignored McGee's mumbling about internet Neanderthals, "Gibbs you take the phones. Go through the address book and call anyone interesting that comes up. I'll look up the father, I don't believe for a second that a police chief doesn't have any enemies."

      With his final word the team went to work, Ziva surprisingly keeping quiet, and soon their typing had joined the bullpen's usual buzz.

      Tony finished up with the background check on Mr Zeleny, looking at the list of possible suspects he composed. He rubbed his eyes tiredly and looked at his team who were still relentlessly working. He got up. "I'm going to check up on Abby, see if she made any progress with the forensics. Anyone up for coffee?"

      He received three affirmative grunts in reply.  
#

      He was coming up the stairs, choosing to move his legs instead of using the lift, when he bumped into someone. He swallowed the curse that threatened to leave his mouth when he almost dropped the coffee cups he carried and looked up to see an apologetic looking woman in a very sympathetically-cut dress clutching a thick file in her arms.

      "I'm sorry, Agent DiNozzo, I wasn't looking where I was going."

      Tony smiled at her, easily slipping into his charmer persona. "No problem, I always enjoy accidentally bumping into a pretty woman. You are?"

      The blonde smiled shyly. "I'm Amanda. I work at the HR's front desk."

      The Italian nodded thoughtfully as if contemplating something. "I guess I'll see you soon then, I have some paperwork that's just waiting to be filed," replied Tony with a flirty smile before continuing up the stairs. He shook his head at his behaviour. He honestly couldn't help himself, could he? Any time he saw a pretty thing, be it a man or a woman, he started flirting uncontrollably. Maybe he should talk to Ducky about it, there must be some hidden reason for his weird manners. His easy smile suddenly fell when he reached the top of the stairs and saw who was standing there.

      "Hey Gibbs, waiting for that coffee?"

      The older man shook his head. "I was wondering what's taking you so long. Should've known you were flirting," he said, grabbing his coffee, before turning around and adding in an emotionless voice: "boss."

      Tony sighed. He knew he sometimes acted unprofessional but he couldn't help it. His flirting has helped him get information from witnesses numerous times before and it discouraged any women looking for serious relationships, which was useful, yet he still felt guilty whenever Gibbs caught him at it.

      He gave Ziva and McGee their cups before asking: "What do we have?"

      This time he received two dirty looks instead of just one.  


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My exam went surprisingly well so I have a bit of a free time now. :)  
> Thank you for your supportive comments, they really help me get a move on.

      It was almost twenty-three hundred when the team finished with their debriefing and Tony decided to cut them some slack. Not that they managed to solve anything but they did have a list of possible suspects ranging from annoying ex-boyfriends to the cop Mr Zeleny sacked the week before.

      "Alright guys, let's call it a day. We've done enough for one day, I'll see you tomorrow at oh seven hundred."

      McGee sighed loudly. "Thanks Tony, I'm almost falling asleep over here," he said with a tired smile. Ziva nodded. "If you're sure Tony, I admit I am also dead on my legs."

      Tony raised his eyebrows at her but didn't otherwise comment, opening him mouth only when Gibbs stood up to leave as well.

      "Gibbs, a word please?"

      The silver-haired man nodded resignedly and sat back down waiting for Ziva and McGee to leave. Tony walked over to him and sat down on the edge of Gibbs' desk.

      "How're you doing Jeth?"

      Gibbs pressed his lips together tightly, forming a thin line, before answering: "I'm fine. Why?"

      "Because you don't seem fine. You look angry," Gibbs huffed, "and frustrated. Did I do something wrong?"

      "Everything's fine, Tony. I'm just a bit overworked, that's all."

      Tony gave him a suspicious look. "Right. You are overworked. Could it be that your bad mood derives from my flirting earlier?"

      Gibbs startled. "Of course not. I mean, it was unprofessional but-"

      "Jethro," interrupted Tony strictly, "I am not going to apologize for how I speak with my co-workers. I didn't use to do it before and I'm not going to start now. If you have a valid reason for thinking I should stop, tell me. If not, try and get used to it."

      Gibbs gave a humourless laugh. "Is this how it's going to be then? You're the boss now so suddenly whatever I say is invalid?"

      Tony stood up angrily at that, carefully modulating his voice so he wouldn't shout: "Are you serious? Do you feel like I don't value anything you have to say? Gibbs, you made me what I am today, you helped me become better, I will always listen to you. But I have my own opinions as well and I say that your behaviour towards me today was seriously lacking and completely unfounded."

      "Unfounded?" hissed Gibbs, "you were one step away from ripping her dress off."

      Tony stared. "Don't you see how much you're overreacting? It was just a bit of a friendly conversation, nothing more, what crawled up your ass, Gibbs? Are you jealous or something?"

      Gibbs gave him a determined look. "No, I'm not. Don't worry, it's not going to happen again," the older agent rose, "I'll see you tomorrow."

      Tony went back to his desk as if in trance. What the bloody hell was that? He's never seen Gibbs behave so irrationally before and he couldn't imagine a reason why he would. Did the demotion hurt him more than he originally thought? Was he doubting Tony's leadership like Ziva? Or worse, was he ill for the first time in his life and that's what made him so grumpy?

      The Italian shook his head, trying to clear his mind before sitting back behind his computer. Someone had to go through the CCTV videos before tomorrow.

#

      The next morning found Tony snoring quietly into his hibernating computer, when the rest of his team filed in. Ziva immediately smirked at the sight.

      "I thought we were supposed to come here to work not sleep."

      Gibbs shook his head at her. "Ziva, stop. Tony must've been working late and never left."

      Ziva scowled. "I know but you would've never done something like that. I don't remember you aver sleeping on the job."

      "Of course not, not even I pull the crazy hours that Tony does. I could swear he was a vampire with how little he sleeps."

      Meanwhile McGee decided not to join in on the conversation and instead went to sit at his desk. He noticed a little yellow post-it note on his keyboard:

      'McGoogle, find out  
       who drives this car  
             - AEN1933.'

      The computer geek turned on his computer thinking how Tony really could've done it himself and barely noticing Gibbs waking the womanizer up with a weak tap to his head. He pulled out the car registration system, typing in the plates in question and waiting for the telltale ping. It didn't come. McGee frowned at his screen. An unregistered car with a license plate? What kind of magic was that? He pulled up a stolen cars register and tried again. Nothing.

      "I tried all that you know?" said a gravelly voice from behind him.

      McGee turned his head to look at Tony. "I'll call the police department to see if they have any records of forged license plates."

      Tony nodded, looking mildly impressed. "You do that McGeek, let's see what you're made of. In the meantime," he raised his voice so the remaining two members of the MCRT could also hear him, "I can tell you what I found out while the rest of you were getting your beauty sleep."

      Ziva grumbled something about reasons why Tony was so ugly but Gibbs silenced her with a well practiced stare. Tony ignored them both. "I went through the CCTV videos from the evening of the kidnapping and I noticed a car very suspiciously following the traffic rules. And when I say following, I mean to the T. Not even a pregnant woman drives this slowly, especially late at night when there's almost no traffic. I ran the plates trough the usual databases and came up with nothing. My suspicion grew and-"

      "And I just got a hit," interrupted McGee, "The local police department has confiscated twenty forged license plates last month. One of them was AEN1933."

      Tony grinned. "Who had access to the plates?"

      Gibbs was already shuffling though the suspect list. "Cory Palladino, a police officer. Got fired last Monday for working under the influence of meth. Must be pretty pissed about it."

      Tony grabbed his rucksack. "Grab your gear then, we have a kidnapper to pick up."

#

      The arrest went surprisingly well. When Palladino saw them at his door, he slumped against  his doorframe and let them in. Ziva untied Miss Zeleny from where she was bound in a small pantry, while Gibbs cuffed the jilted cop and read him his rights. It turned out that Palladino thought that if he left a marine jacket at the crime scene, the police would investigate the navy and wouldn't think to look into their own backyard. Tony raised his eyebrows at that but overall was satisfied with how it all went and even managed to exchange a hesitant smile with Ziva when she passed him in the hallway.

      "Good job huh?" he asked Gibbs on the way to their SUV.

      The older man forced a smile. "Yeah, you did good Tony."

      "Good. I'd hate to think you didn't appreciate me or something," Tony said meaningfully.

      Gibbs shook his head. "Not now Tony, come over tonight and we'll talk, ok?"

      "Ok. Eight?" asked Tony happily.

      "Sure, bring beer."


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My brain decided to throw ideas at me, so I've decided to write until I either don't have any ideas left or I die. Whichever will come sooner :) Bear with me, please.

      Tony pulled up in front of Gibbs' house at exactly five minutes to eight that evening. He pulled the key out of the ignition and sat quietly for a moment. Will Gibbs finally tell him what got his knickers in the twist or will he just feed him some pathetic story about being overworked again? The Italian smiled to himself and picked up the six-pack he bought a few minutes ago, only one way to find out.

      Gibbs was in the kitchen pouring beer into a pleasantly smelling pan full of pork and vegetable cubes. Tony put down the six-pack, grinning.

      "Smells good, Jeth. Need some help?"

      Gibbs shook his head. "Nothing here for you to do, it's almost ready. Just set the table and sit down."

      Tony went to do exactly that, carefully watching Gibbs for any signs of his bad mood. He didn't see any which only confused him more. Was Gibbs really just tired and now that the case was over he was back to normal?

      Gibbs brought over two steaming plates and settled one of them in front of Tony, before taking a seat opposite of him. "Hope you don't mind the vegetables, I had some in the fridge and I didn't want them to rot."

      "It's fine, Jethro. Thanks," said Tony, feeling a bit uncomfortable. His gut didn't seem to be able to settle and he didn't know why. "What did you want to tell me?"

      Gibbs chewed on his mouthful slowly before swallowing. "I want you to know that I don't doubt you Tony," he started slowly, obviously not knowing how to apologize, "you are a capable leader and I never meant to make you worried about what I thought. It's just very hard for me to adjust to not being in charge anymore. I do respect you but I have to constantly keep myself from taking charge and that's going to take a while to get rid of."

      Tony nodded, understanding. Gibbs seemed honest and open and Tony was happy he felt comfortable enough to talk to him about his feelings. Still it didn't eliminate the churning feeling that had settled in his gut, telling him something still wasn't as fine as it seemed.

      "You're sure that's all?" he asked, deciding to use a direct approach.

      Gibbs' lips twitched slightly in an imitation of a smile. "I'm sure."

      Tony returned the smile hesitantly, returning back to his meal warily. He was frustrated with himself that he couldn't say if Gibbs was lying or not. He chose to trust him for now and went to inspect his gut feeling again. If it wasn't Gibbs, what was it?

      He looked up again when his companion cleared his throat. "You feel it too?"

      Tony was confused at first. "Feel it?"

      Gibbs inclined his head. "Your instinct. It's screaming at you, isn't it?"

      "Yeah," he admitted, shyly rubbing the back of his neck, "I feel like something's wrong."

      Gibbs smiled fully this time, his face suddenly looking at least ten years younger. "We'll go over the files again tomorrow, ok?"

      Tony shrugged sheepishly. "I guess?"

#

      With the next day came an early phone call from Abby, informing Tony that she had found something. Tony grunted at her from where he was tangled up in his sheets and called Gibbs to meet him at the lab. It seemed his instincts were right after all.

      They entered the music-filled lab few minutes before oh seven.

      "Hello boss," said Abby cheerfully when she saw him, before noticing Gibbs and finishing just as cheerfully: "and hello boss."

      Gibbs raised his eyebrows at her. "Not the boss, Abs."

      Abby shook her head so vehemently her pigtails slapped her in the face a few times. "I refuse that. You're still the boss Gibbs, you can never not be the boss, you know? Once a boss, always a boss. I now have two bosses," she rambled on, "well technically three, because Vance would probably also like me to call him my boss but you and Tony are my true bosses and that's it," she finished with her hands clasped over her heart.

      Gibbs smiled at her and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. "Alright Abs, calm down. What do you have for us?"

      Abby quickly went into her scientist mode. "Well, I know that you closed the case and all but I think I found something."

      Tony frowned. "There's no doubt that Palladino did it, I hope. That would suck."

      "No he's guilty alright," admitted the goth, "but he didn't do it alone. See, the note you found on the bed? It's not Palladino's handwriting."

      Tony scrubbed his hand over his face tiredly. "Hell. I knew it was too easy. Thanks Abs, we'll go and have another look at it."

      The lab queen smiled at him sympathetically. "Good luck, boss."

      "Thanks, Abs," said Gibbs and received a cheerful: "Good luck, boss." as well.

#

      The news were hell to break to the rest of the team. Tony could see Ziva's triumphant grin when he admitted the case wasn't over yet and he tried to pretend he didn't feel sick to his stomach. Just his luck that the case wasn't as straightforward as they all thought, Ziva certainly didn't need any more ammunition.

      "So we're looking for another person who would have profit from chief Zeleny resigning. Ziva, McGee, go through the suspect list again, look for any connection, any sign of illegal activity. Gibbs, go and talk to the chief again, don't mention the investigation's not closed yet, just tell him we're wrapping it up and we need details. I'll go talk to Ducky to see what he has, maybe he'll have a profile for me."

      Ziva raised her eyebrows. "Are you sure, Tony?"

      Tony rolled his eyes, she honestly sounded like a broken gramophone. "Yes I'm sure, Ziva. Do it now, please," he finished, feeling frustrated, and headed for the elevator.

      "Heya Ducky," hollered Tony cheerfully when he entered the morgue.

      The Doctor turned around and frowned slightly at him. "Oh my. What's wrong, Anthony?"

      Tony was taken aback. "Abby didn't tell you?"

      "She told me about the note, yes, but that's not what's bothering you, is it?"

      Tony dropped his cheerful act. Why did he ever think that talking with a psychologist was a good idea? He sat down at one of the autopsy tables, making sure to check for any stray tissue beforehand, and sighed deeply. "I messed up."

      The Doctor fixed him with a patient look. "How?"

      "I didn't notice that Palladino wasn't working alone. I knew there was something wrong but I just thought it was Gibbs acting all huffy and puffy that was bothering me."

      "Did anyone else notice?"

      "No but the case is my responsibility, not theirs."

      The older man looked understanding. "Still, shouldn't they have noticed?"

      Tony stood up, agitated. "How? There was nothing to indicate otherwise, how could I hold it against them?"

      "How can you hold it against yourself?"

      Tony stilled his aggressive hand movements. Oh. That was clever. Really, how could he hold it against himself when no one could've known? That's why they ran the forensics after all, so they don't miss anything. He smiled. "Thanks, Duck. I needed that."

      "Anytime, my dear boy. Anytime."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your support once again, hopefully I've managed to deliver :)

      Gibbs called on his way back from interviewing Mr Zeleny. He was in a bad mood judging by the way he barked "DiNozzo!" when Tony picked up after the second ring.

      "What happened, Gibbs?" asked Tony calmly.

      "Zeleny said he wasn't pressing charges against Palladino. Said it would cast a bad light on the Washington PD. Don't know what he's playing at."

      Tony's stomach might've just as well made a summersault with how uncomfortable feeling he suddenly got. "That's suspicious," he murmured before turning to call McGee and Ziva: "Run all the checks you can on Mr Zeleny. Find anything we haven't found before or anything that wasn't there when we first looked. Work fast, something's brewing."

      Both of his agents went to work without any comments, most likely sensing Tony's agitation. Tony watched as they started typing, their fingers furiously flying over their keyboards, before turning back to his phone.

      "Gibbs, stay close to Zeleny but don't let him see you. I smell something fishy," he finished before hanging up.

      Ziva scrunched up her nose at that, not ceasing her work. "I smell nothing," she informed him confusedly.

      Tony stared. "You do that on purpose."

      Ziva was about to answer when McGee knocked over his chair in his haste to stand up. "Tony! Zeleny has drained all his accounts before booking an aeroplane ticket to the Czech Republic! That's in Europe," he added at Tony's confused expression.

      Tony turned to the other agent. "Ziva?"

      "He has resigned his post as chief of police this morning."

      "When's the plane leaving?"

      McGee checked his computer. "In two hours."

      Tony tilted his head, pulling out his phone again. "Gibbs? Bring Zeleny in, arrest him if you have to."

#

      In the end it wasn't that hard a case to close. Zeleny had apparently been stealing money from the department for years with no one ever suspecting anything. A few days ago though, he found out that a random inspection was about to visit his department and he knew that they would find out there was something wrong. He decided to try and sidetrack everyone by staging a kidnapping of his own daughter and retiring in the process so that he'd be far away from the department when the inspection finally remembered they were about to do any check-ups.

      He paid his former employee to help him with his scheme, promising him more money and dropping any charges if he kept his mouth shut when he got caught. He didn't count on the feds to solve the case so quickly though, nor did he expect the inspection to happen regardless of what was happening. He had to act quickly then, so he took all of his money, leaving a bit for his daughter, and bought a one-way ticket to a country where his grandfather lived before running away from the Nazis.

      Tony sighed theatrically as little warning bells still jingled in his brain. He could honestly say that he was getting a bit tired of how his instincts kept nagging at him. The case was closed, so what was wrong?  
      He signed the last report of the day, looking over at his teammates. Only Ziva and Gibbs were still in the bullpen and the latter was picking up his jacket, apparently finished for the day.

      Tony smiled at him. "See you tomorrow, Gibbs."

      The older man didn't return the smile, merely nodding his head distractedly. "Yeah, I'll see you DiNozzo," he grunted.

      Tony frowned a little at that but let his friend go without further comment, refusing the old agent to ruin his mood, looking instead at the only other agent still in the bullpen with him. "What a day, right Ziva?" he asked her.

      Ziva smiled. "Yes, Tony. Very eventful."

      "Glad it's over."

      The former Mossad agent looked curiously at him. "Yes, now that it is over though, when will Gibbs be back?"

      Tony was confused. "Back? What do you mean back? He never left."

      The woman stood up, nodding patiently. "Of course not but I was wondering when will the team be back to normal. Surely Vance cannot make us work underneath you forever."

      Tony couldn't help but let the hurt he felt show on his face. "You're just waiting for that to happen, right? So you can rub my nose in it," he said bitterly, standing up as well.

      Ziva looked taken aback. "That's not what I meant Tony but even you have to admit that Gibbs is a better team leader than you."

      Tony didn't even think before he acted. One second he was calmly standing in the middle of the empty bullpen,talking to Ziva, the next second his hand had sharply connected with the back of the Israeli's head. He instantly felt like apologizing when he saw the astonished expression on Ziva's face, but decided to stand his ground instead and wait for her to retaliate.

      Surprisingly enough, Ziva didn't lash out at him. "I- you slapped me."

      "I did," he said as calmly as he could manage, ignoring his trembling hands and pretending he wasn't quaking in his Armani shoes.

      His friend deflated suddenly. "I deserved that."

      "You did?" he asked, completely unsure of what was happening.

      Ziva nodded, looking honestly contrite. "I'm sorry Tony, I shouldn't have- I didn't- I don't know what to say."

      Tony finally overcame his shock and smiled at her tightly. "Don't say anything, I understand this situation is hard for you, Ziva. I know it takes time to adjust. Just-" he stopped to take a deep breath, "don't doubt me again, capisce? We have to be able to work together and I have to be able to trust you'll have my back."

      The Israeli inclined her head sharply. "I'll always have your back Tony. I'll try and behave better, ok?"

      "Ok," said Tony and felt like most of the tension he carried around this past few days drained away. He didn't even realize how tightly he was wound up until the heavy weight lifted from his shoulders. He could honestly say that his friend doubting his competence had been painful and he was glad it was more or less over.

      Only one thing to take care of now, he thought as his stomach churned slightly again. His instincts were still trying to tell him something and Tony was sure that this time, the case was truly and properly closed, which left only one loose end. Gibbs.

      Tony pulled out his phone. "Gibbs? You free?"

      "Yes?" said the other agent uncertainly.

      "What would you say to a salami pizza at your place, a couple of beers, a little heart to heart?" asked Tony as innocently as he could manage.

      Gibbs sounded suspicious anyway: "A heart to heart? You turned into a woman when I wasn't looking, DiNozzo?"

      Tony laughed nervously. "Last time I checked, no. But I really think we need to talk."

      "What about?"

      "Well, about the way you've been behaving lately, for starters. You might have spun a really nice and touching tale about how you're having hard time adjusting and I might've let it sit at that, but now that the case is over, I'm calling you on your bullshit. I don't care what your reasons are for behaving like a right brat these past few days but I'm finding out tonight, capisce?"

      He heard Gibbs sigh at the other end of the line. "Fine," he heard him say finally, the older man's voice sounding broken. Tony started at that slightly, not having heard his friend sound like that for a very long time. Not since Kate, actually.

      "I'll be right over, Jeth. Order some pizza, will you?"


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaand I present you with the last chapter. Hope you enjoy it, any feedback's welcome :)

      Tony knew he was behaving out of character when he knocked on Gibbs' door that evening but he couldn't help it. Hearing his friend sound as wrecked as he did over the phone tugged at something buried deep inside of him and he didn't really know what to do about it or what to say to make it better.  
  
      "It's open, Tony," sounded from inside and the Italian chuckled quietly in depreciation. Of course it was, it wasn't like Gibbs would suddenly try to lock him out.  
  
      "I know, Jeth," replied Tony as he stepped inside the house, "I've just forgot myself for a moment. You have the pizza?"  
  
      Gibbs pointed at the grease-soaked cardboard box that rested on the living room table before heading to his kitchen, presumably to fetch some beer.  
  
      Tony sat down on the couch, pretending to make himself comfortable, while trying to convince himself that he didn't want to flee. He closed his eyes, replaying the worst case scenario that he came up with on the way over behind his lids. In his mind, he could see Gibbs telling him how he didn't feel comfortable working under him. That Tony really didn't have what it takes to be a good team leader. Gibbs, looking all apologetic, telling him that he would welcome it if Tony resigned so that Vance wouldn't have to fire him. Telling him-  
  
      "If you frown any more, your eyebrows are going to knot together," said the real Gibbs with a hint of smile in his voice.  
  
      Tony opened his eyes quickly. "Yeah, right. Sorry."  
  
      "You alright?"  
  
      Tony took the beer bottle that his friend handed him and grinned. "Sure thing. We're not here to talk about me though, at least not directly. Will you tell me what crawled up your arse these past few days?"  
  
      The older man sat down, ignoring the pizza for now, and looked at Tony hesitantly. "I told you, Tony. It takes time to get used to the situation, is all."  
  
      "Bullshit," said Tony, immediately wishing he didn't, but he ploughed on: "you always told me to trust my instincts. Well they're screaming at me right now and they think you're lying. Sure it's not easy to get used to the new situation but you're a marine, you're used to dealing with unpredictable situations. I think you have a problem with me, a personal problem, and I want to know what it is so we can deal with it."  
      "I don't have a problem with you, Ton-"  
  
      "Jethro! You've been shunning me ever since that damned coffee run, actually come to think of it, you've been behaving a bit childishly around be even before then, I guess I just never noticed."  
  
      Tony widened his eyes. That was true. Gibbs behaved a bit oddly even before his demotion, Tony just hadn't been as perceptive to it as he was now. His new position was making him feel vulnerable, sensitive to any word of critique, any even slightly condescending look so he finally noticed his friend's attitude towards him changed.  
  
      "What did I do, Jeth?"  
  
      The marine leaned back into the couch cushions. "You did nothing wrong, Tony, I'm just fighting some internal battles with myself right now and I might have ... been taking it out on you a bit."  
  
      "Yeah, you might have," snorted Tony, "what internal battles?"  
  
      "Gibbs took a sip from his bottle. "It's personal, DiNozzo."  
  
      "I kind of get that, Jethro, but what are friends for, right? I might be able to help you."  
  
      Gibbs visibly restrained himself from shifting in his seat in discomfort.  
  
      Tony got a ridiculous idea in his hand and couldn't help but laugh at it. "You finally having your midlife crisis or what?" he asked, still smiling cheekily.  
  
      Gibbs' eyes widened before the marine took a long pull from his beer. "I don't know. What do people normally do in their midlife crisis?"  
  
      Tony shrugged, the idea still funny to him. "I don't know. My dad married a woman three years younger than me, quit his job and bought himself a Cadillac. What have you done?"  
  
      The silver-haired man scowled. "None of the above, thank God."  
  
      "What's wrong then? You decided you suddenly wanted to build bird feeders instead of boats? You no longer like red heads? Or worse, do you feel the persistent need to apologize?"  
  
      Gibbs grunted. "If you're going to make fun of me, I won't tell you anything. I don't really owe you an explanation."  
  
      Tony straightened up in his seat. "That's where you're wrong, Gibbs. You do owe me an explanation and if you can't give me one as a friend, you will give me one as my second in command. I can't rely on you properly if your moods change faster than Russia's country area."  
  
      "You can always rely on me, Tony. I would never let you down."  
  
      "Then tell me what's wrong. What's bothering you?"  
  
       Gibbs took a deep breath. "I like you."  
  
      Tony smiled. "I like you too, now what's wrong?"  
  
      Gibbs quickly stood up, agitated. "That's what's wrong, Tony! That right there. I like you, as in I am interested in you and it never ever really crossed your mind!"  
  
      The Italian was left gaping at his friend. Did Gibbs really just say he liked him? _Like_ liked him? He closed his eyes briefly. Jethro had been his friend for the past ten years or so and he never once showed any interest in the male sex. Was that what he was talking about when he mentioned midlife crisis? How was it even possible that Gibbs liked him with the string of redheads he has under his belt? And most importantly, did Tony like him back? Could he allow himself to even think about it? It wasn't the sex he was worried about, Tony had been bisexual for as long as he could remember, but could he start any relationship with a teammate and not ruin it like he ruined each and every of his previous relationships? Wendy? Jean?  
  
      His musing were interrupted by a shuffling sound and a gruff voice: "I'll just go and work on my boat for a bit then. You can let yourself out when you're finished."  
  
      Tony quickly decided to act. "No, wait! Just ... sit down and we'll talk about this. You can't just spring something like this on me and then leave."  
  
      "The hell I can't."  
  
      "Jeth, sit down," Tony prompted calmly, "please?"  
  
      The marine sat down, his arms crossed in front of him, acting as a shield. Tony leaned closer to him slowly. "I won't pretend you didn't surprise me but that doesn't mean we can't deal with this. You're my friend," he started, "and you're hot, there's no doubt about that. A I must admit that I've had thought about you in that way at the beginning, you know? You were handsome, with a pleasant smile, kind of an ass but I adjusted," he laughed nervously, "I stopped thinking about you as a possible love interest when we became closer though. I knew we had something good going here together and I didn't want to ruin it."  
  
      Tony let out a slow breath. "I would be willing to try again if you really are interested though."  
  
      Gibbs bit his lower lip. "I don't need you to give me a pity fuck, DiNozzo."  
  
      "With you? It could never be a pity fuck. Didn't you hear me when I said you were hot?"  
  
      Gibbs harrumphed but before he could complain further, Tony continued: "We could start slow. Go to a few dates, kiss," he raised his eyebrows suggestively, "we can set down a few rules, talk about things and see where it goes."  
  
      The marine rolled his eyes at that before surging quickly forward and planting his lips straight on Tony's. Tony returned the kiss enthusiastically, forcing his tongue into the warm mouth of his friend - or lover - and enjoying the tingling sensations for as long as he could. When they finally parted after a few minutes, both gasping for air, Tony laughed.  
  
      "Or not," he said before pouncing on the other man again, hands sliding underneath an NCIS T-shirt and lips connecting with the others again. To hell with taking things slow.


End file.
